Portable, convertible chair and lounge



PY 23, w68 D; R. DALZIEL 3,379,47

PORTABLE, CONVERTIBLE CHAIR AND LOUNGE Filed Feb. 16, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet l wie@ April 23, W@ D. R. DALZIEL PORTABLE, CONVERTIBLE CHAIR AND LOUNGE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 16, 1967 I N VEN TOR.

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United States Patent 3,379,471 PORTABLE, CONVERTIBLE CHAIR AND LOUNGE Darrel R. Dalziel, 4208 Don Julio Blvd., North Highlands, Calif. 95660 Fixes Feb. 16, 1967, ser. No. 618,268 14 Claims. (Cl. 297-92) CT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pair of oppositely facing chair seats and backs are integrally interconnected, one of said seats being provided with an extensible member, and mounted on a support base and means are provided for linearly moving a lower end of one of the back members and pivotally moving the other of the back members to form a lounge from the seat and back members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION F z'eld of the invention-This invention relates t0 chairs in general and more particularly to chairs of the type which are portable and convertible for use in boats, campers, as lawn furniture, and mobile homes.

Description of the prior ara-oppositely facing chairs which are convertible to couches or lounges are well known in the prior art. Reference is made to Patent No. 2,971,568, issued to Rorie et al. on Feb. 14, 1961; Patent No. 2,993,529, issued to Brown on July 25, 1961, Patent No. 3,095,234, issued June 25, 1963, and Patent No. 3,107,940, issued Oct. 22, 1963, to Brooks et al., for convertible seats of the type disclosed herein. Some of these seats have no facilities at all to permit conversion from a seat to ya lounge or couch, see, for example, the Rorie patent. Double arm pivoting devices are known for permitting conversion from a pair of oppositely facing chairs to a couch, as shown in the Brown patent, and various other means for permitting this conversion, such as telescoping members as disclosed in the Brooks et al. patents, have been disclosed. This invention is an improvement over the chairs as disclosed in the prior art and more particularly an improvement in the means for permitting conversion of the oppositely facing chairs to a couch and for extending the length of the couch to provide a headrest.

SUMMARY While chairs of this general type have been disclosed in the prior art, the means for converting the chairs from a pair of oppositely facing chairs to la couch or lounge have not been entirely satisfactory. Frequently, total rearrangement of the elements manually is required and frequently the mechanisms for permitting rearrangement are diiiicult to handle. In addition, generally speaking, the lounge or couch formed by the converted chair is of insufficient length, particularly if it is intended to use the lounge in the form of a chaise lounge. Accordingly, the following are objects of the present invention:

The provision of a convertible lchair having a slidable guide for moving a rst seat and back combination linerly in one direction and a pivoted arm for moving the other back and chair combination in the other direction to provide a generally horizontal couch;

The provision of means for supporting one of the seat members Aat an angle from the horizontal to provide a chaise lounge arrangement;

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The provision of a seat extension to provide a headrest when the chairs are in the position of a chaise lounge;

The provision of a novel and advantageous combination of elements including a support base, a linear guide member, a pivotal guide arm, a support for selectively positioning a seat member at an angle from the horizontal, :and a seat extension which forms a headrest.

The particular details of construction and combinational features also comprise objects of the invention.

Brief description of the drawing FIGURE 1 is a side view of the seat of this invention shown in its first position, as a pair of oppositely Ifacing seats.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of the seats of this invention shown looking down as in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side cross-sectional view taken. substantially along lines 3 3 in the direction of the arrows as shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a side view, showing the base support in cross section, of the convertible chair of this invention, shown in the extended position forming a chaise lounge.

FIGURE 5 is a partial cross-sectional view longitudinally of the lounge of FIGURE 4 taken substantially in the direction ofthe arrows.

FIGURE 6 is .an end view taken along lines 6-6 of FIGURE 3 in the direction of the arrows showing the rear of the first seat and back unit and the slidable guide means of the invention.

FIGURE 7 is a detail cross-sectional view showing means for selectively permitting extension of the seat extension member taken substantially along lines 7 7 in the direction of the arrows as shown in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is an exemplary utilization of the seat of this invention in a boat.

FIGURE 9 is an exemplary utilization of the seat of this invention in a camper.

FIGURE 10 is an exemplary utilization of the seat of this invention as lawn furniture.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now first to FIGURES 1, 2, 3 and 4, the convertible seat of this invention comprises first and second back members 20 and 22 `and a first seat member 24, which includes a seat board 25, and a second seat member 26 which includes a seat board 27. An important feature of the inventiony is the inclusion of a first seat extension 28.

These back and seat members are hingably and extensibly interconnected :as will -be described to move from the position as shown in FIGURE 1 to the position as shown in FIGURE 4. As best shown in FIGURE 3, back member 20 includes a back board 30 and back side members 32 and back member 22 includes a back board 34 and back side members 36. Top plates 38 and 40 are provided on the upper edges of the seat members 20 and 22 and are hingably interconnected by a pair of hinges 42. Hinge means 44 and 46 hingably connect, respectively, the first seat member 24 with the first back member 20 and the second seat member' 26 with the second back member 22. In the preferred form, the hinge means 44 comprises a hinge bracket 48 lwhich may be secured by any convenient means t0 the real,- edge of the seat member 24 and a seat bracket 50 which may be secured yby any convenient means to the lower edge of back member 20. Hinge pin 52 provides the hingable relationship. In a similar manner, hinge bracket 54 is connected to the lower edge of back member 22 and hinge bracket 56 is connected to the rear edge of seat member 26 and the hinge brackets are pivotally interconnected yby hinge pin 58.

Extension member 28 includes a backboard 60 and a stop block 62 secured thereto, the function of which will be described, and a pair of slidable support rods 64 secured to and extending in parallel relation from back board 60. The support rods are slidably received in clamp 66 which are provided with thumb screws 68 and clamping plate 70 to selectively clamp the support bars in a desired position, as best shown in FIGURE 7. A support base 80, which preferably includes a pair of opposed sides 82 and opposed ends 84 and 86, is shown in which the second end 86 may include a drawer which is slidably received in the conventional manner therein and may include a conventional lock for securing the drawer in a closed position, as is well known in the art.

A cross support 90 is centrally located in the support base and supports a panel 91 between the second end of the support base and the support member 90 to prevent access to drawer `88 from the top.

As best shown in FIGURES 3, 4 and 6, a pair of notched brackets 92 which include a plurality of receiving notches 94 therein may be secured by any conventional means, such as screws 96, to the first end 84 of the support base 80 and selectively receive a U-shaped support bar 98 which, as shown in FIGURE 6, is pivotally supported to brackets 100 which may be secured by bolts 102, which in conjunction with bolts 104, also secure brackets 66 to the first seat member 24. The ends 4of U- shaped support member 93 are pivotally connected by pivot pins 106 to brackets 102. As shown in FIGURE 6 also, a pair of glide brackets S may be secured, as by screws 110, to the first back member and include extensions 112 from which pins 114 extend supporting glide rollers 116 which are received in glide tracks 1118, said glide tracks being secured to the opposed side walls 82 of base support 80 adjacent one end thereof, as best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4. Movement of the second back. member is arcuately directed by pivot arm 120, which preferably comprises two generally straight portions which intersect in an obtuse angle, which is secured by pivot means 122 to the back member 22 intermediate the upper and lower edges thereof and pivotally secured by pivot means I124 to the opposed side walls 82, as shown best :in FIGURE 5. These pivot means may be conventional brackets and bolts or bolts received in apertures for rotatable movement,

As best shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the second seat member when in the extended position is supported by a U-shaped member which includes legs 126 having seat engaging portions 128 pivotally mounted by pivot means 130 and interconnected by a base member 132. A stop block 134 is provided proximate the front edge of the second seat member 26.

As best shown in FIGURE 6, an L cleat 136 may be secured, such as by screws or glue, to side wall 82' for selective engagement under iioor cleat 138 which may be secured to the floor 140 by any desired means as may be L cleat 142 which is provided with a threaded aperture 144 for receiving a threaded bolt 146 through aperture 148 in side wall 82.

This arrangement of cleats permits the seat to be removably connected to the deck of a boat 142 as shown in FIG- URE 8 or to the door of a camper 144 as shown in FIG- URE 9, or simply placed ou a lawn as shown in FIGURE 1U'.

In use, in a first position, the back members and 22 are held in a substantially vertical relation to each other, facing oppositely, by the hinged arrangements at the upper edges thereof by the hinged arrangements between the lower edges thereof and the rear edges of the seat members 24 and 26 and by stop blocks 62 and 134 which engage the opposed ends 84 and 86 of the support base 80. When it is desired to extend the double chair to form a couch, or a chaise lounge, it is necessary only to lift the front edge of the second seat member 26 to disengage the stop block 134 from the end 86 and permit arcuate movement about pivot member 124 as controlled and directed by pivot arm 120 and to lift the seat member extension 28 to disengage stop 'block 62 :from end 84 of support base and permit the lower edge of the first back member 20 to move in a substantially linear path in a horizontal plane. The first seat member 24 may then be left in the horizontal position, or raised to a desired position at an angle with respect to the horizontal and supported in that position by means of U-shapcd support member 9S which may be received in notches 94 of bracket 92. A headrest is formed by the extension of seating section member 28 to adesired position. As seen in FIGURE 4, the second seat member 26 is supported in a horizontal position by legs 126 and -seat engaging portions 128 in conjunction with pivot means 130.

To return the seat to the first position, as shown in FIGURE 1, from the second position, as shown in FIG- URE 4, it is necessary only to lift the center of the seat and to disengage support member 98 from bracket 92. Stop blocks 62 and 134 are then engaged by the ends 84 and 86 of the support base 80.`

Only those features consideredto be novel and important have been described in detail, such as the motion directing means, the extensible means, etc.; therefore, it will be understood that conventional seat construction, such as foam rubber covered with a flexible material, spring and padding or other known seat constructions may be used. Other variations will become apparent to those i pected that` the scope of the invention will be limited only i by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a portable convertible chair of the type having first and second back members which are hingably interconnected at upper edges thereof, and first and second seat members which are individually hingably `interconnected at rear edges thereof respectively to lower edges of said first and second back members, said back members in a first position being generally vertically disposed in oppositely facing directions and in a second position being generally horizontally disposed to form a couch-like surface in cooperation with said seat members, the improvement in combination, which comprises:

guide means, including slidable means secured adjacent to the lower edge of said first back member and at least one guide track receiving `said slidable means,

for directing movement of said lower edge generally horizontally from said first position to said second position in a substantially linear path, said slidable means being received in said track and said track being so constructed as to prevent removal of said slidable means therefrom and to limit reciprocable motion of the slidable means therein; and

pivot means, including at least one pivot are pivotally secured at one end to the second back member intermediate said upper and lower edges, the other end of said pivot arm being pivotally secured below the second seat member, for directing movement of said back member pivotally` in a generally arcuate path from said first position to said second position such that the upper edge of the second back member moves only in a direction toward the second seat member.

2. The invention of claim 1 further comprising:

in a portable convertible chair of the type having first and second back members which are hingably interconnected at upper edges thereof, and first and second seat members which are individually hingeably interconnected at rear edges thereof respectively to lower edges of said first and second back members, said back members in a first position being generally vertically disposed in oppositely facing directions and in a second position -being generally horizontally disposed to form a couch-like surface in cooperation with said seat members, the improvement, in combination, which comprises:

guide means, including slidable means secured adjacent to the lower edge of said rst back member and at least one guide track receiving said slidable means, for directing movement of said lower edge generally horizontally from said first position to said second position in a substantially linear path;

pivot means, including at least one pivot arm secured at one end to the second back member intermediate said upper and lower edges, for directing movement of said back member pivotally in a generally arcuate path from said first position to Said second position;

a seat extension member; and

means securing the seat extension member extensibly to a seat member for relative movement therefrom.

3. The invention of claim 2 further comprising:

support means pivotally connected to said seat mem- -ber for selectively supporting said seat member at an angle from the horizontal.

4. The invention of claim 3 further comprising:

a support base, which includes at least one side wall and at least one end Wall, for supporting said back members and seat members in said first and second positions;

means securing said guide track to said side wall; and

means pivotally securing the other end of said pivot arm to a side wall.

5. The invention of claim 4 further comprising:

bracket means having means therein for receiving and supporting said support means at selected positions.

6. The invention of claim 1 further comprising:

a generally rectangular support base for supporting said seat and back members in said first and second positions, said support base having a pair of opposed side walls and a pair of opposed end walls;

means securing a pair of said guide tracks on each of the opposing side walls a-djacent a first end of the support base, each of said guide tracks receiving one of said slidable means slidable therein; and

means pivotally securing a pair of said pivot arms at the other ends thereof to the respective side walls intermediate the ends of the support base.

7. The invention of claim 6 further comprising:

a seat extension member;

a pair of support rods secured to said seat extension member and extending, in parallel relation, therefrom;

a pair of selectively clampable brackets receiving said support rods, said brackets being secured to said first seat member to permit extensible movement therefrom;

a U-shaped support member pivotally mounted at the ends thereof to said first seat member; and

bracket means secured to a first end wall of said support base for selectively receiving said U-shaped support member for supporting said first seat member at an angle from the horizontal.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein:

the pivot arms each comprise an elongate member having two generally straight portions intersecting to form an obtuse angle intermediate the center and the other end thereof.

9. The invention of claim 8 further comprising:

cleats on one of said walls for selectively engaging floor cleats; and

apertures through an opposite wall for receiving a bolt for securing said opposite wall to a floor cleat, to thereby permit said seat to be removably secured to a floor.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein the support base further includes:

a drawer slidably received in the second end thereof.

11. In a portable convertible chair of the type having first and second back member which are hingably interconnected at upper edges thereof, and first and second seat members which are individually hingably interconnected at rear edges thereof respectively to lower edges of said first and second back members, said back members in a first position being generally vertically disposed in oppositely facing directions and in a second position being generally horizontally disposed to form a couchlike surface in cooperation with said seat members, the improvement in combination, which comprises:

guide means, including slidable means secured adjacent to the lower edge of said first back member and at least one guide track receiving said slidable means, for directing movement of said lower edge generally horizontally from said first position to said second position in a substantially linear path:

pivot means, including at least one pivot arm secured at one end to the second back member intermediate said upper and lower edges, for directing movement of said 4back member pivotally in a generally yarcuate path from said first position to said second position;

a generally rectangular support base for supporting said seat and back members in said first and second positions, said support base having a pair of opposed side walls and a pair of opposed end walls;

means securing a pair of said guide tracks on each of the opposing side walls adjacent a first end of the support base, each of said guide tracks receiving one of said slidable means slidable therein;

means pivotally securing a pair of said pivot arms at the other ends thereof to the respective side walls intermediate the ends of the support base;

a seat extension member;

a pair of support rods secured to said seat extension member and extending, in parallel relation, therefrom;

a pair of selectively clampable brackets receiving said support rods, said brackets being secured to said first seat member to permit extensible movement therefrom;

a U-shaped support member pivotally mounted at the ends thereof to said first seat member; and

bracket means secured to a first end wall of said support vbase for selectively receiving said U-shaped support member for supporting said first seat member at an angle from the horizontal.

12. The invention of claim 11 wherein:

the pivot arms each comprise an elongate member having two generally straight portions intersecting to form an obtuse angle intermediate the center and the other end thereof.

13. The invention of claim 12 further comprising:

cleats on one of said walls for selectively engaging oor cleats; and

rapertures through an opposite wall for receiving a bolt for securing said opposite wall to a floor cleat, to thereby permit said seat to be removably secured to a floor.

14. The invention of claim 13 wherein the support base further includes:

a drawer slidably received in the second end thereof.

(References on following page) 7 8 References Cited 3,171,684 3/ 1965 Carte 297-65 3,282,625 11/1966 Logan 297-65 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,317,930 5/ 1967 Winberg 297-92 X 7/ 1935 Lmdsey 297-64 10/1953 Schofield 297-64 X 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1961 Brown 297-65 641,439 5/1962 Canada. 6/1963 Brooks et al. 297-65 10/1963 Brooks et al. 29,7 63 JAMES T. MCCALL, Przmaly Examiner. 

